Endeavour Group is a leading retail drinks company in the United Kingdom that operates over 3,000 licensed retail outlets. The company was previously known by a different name before rebranding to Endeavour Group in 2019. In this article, we will look at the history of Endeavour Group and what it was previously called.
Endeavour Group’s Origins
Endeavour Group has its origins in the hotel and liquor assets of brewer Bass PLC. In 2003, Bass PLC sold its brewing assets to Interbrew (now known as AB InBev) and rebranded as Six Continents PLC to focus on its hotel business.
In 2003, Six Continents PLC demerged into two separate companies – InterContinental Hotels Group PLC to manage its hotel brands and Mitchells & Butlers plc to operate its liquor retail outlets. At the time of demerger, Mitchells & Butlers operated over 1,400 pubs, bars, and restaurants across the UK.
Mitchells & Butlers plc
After the demerger in 2003, Mitchells & Butlers retained ownership of well-known British pub chains and liquor retailers including All Bar One, Browns, Harvester, Nicholson’s, O’Neill’s and Toby Carvery. It also owned brands such as Ha Ha Bar & Grill, Sizzling Pub Co., Crown Carveries, Alex, Owd Roger and others.
Mitchells & Butlers plc quickly established itself as the largest operator of restaurants and pubs in the UK. The company’s outlets were located across England, Wales and Scotland. By 2011, Mitchells & Butlers operated over 2,000 liquor outlets under various brands.
Orchid Group
In 2014, Mitchells & Butlers rebranded its entire managed retail business as the Orchid Group. This meant that all of its managed pubs, bars, restaurants and liquor outlets would operate under the Orchid Group banner. Brands such as All Bar One, O’Neill’s, Nicholson’s and Browns were retained but came under the umbrella of Orchid Group.
According to the company, the rebranding to Orchid Group was done to have a common identity across its managed retail estate. The rebranding had no impact on the company’s ownership structure or operations – it continued to remain Mitchells & Butlers plc.
Creation of Stonegate Pub Company
In July 2011, Mitchells & Butlers sold 333 of its pubs and outlets to the newly formed Stonegate Pub Company for £373 million. This included brands such as Scream, Town Pub & Kitchen, Walkabout, Slug and Lettuce, Yates’s and Edwards.
The outlets sold to Stonegate Pub Company represented around 15% of Mitchells & Butlers’ estate. The deal was done to allow Mitchells & Butlers to focus on its core brands and reduce debt.
Stonegate Pub Company was formed in 2010 as a pub operating company led by the former management of Town Pub Company. Following the acquisition of the 333 Mitchells & Butlers outlets, Stonegate became one of the largest pub companies in the UK.
Orchid Pub Company
In 2018, the Orchid Group changed its name to the Orchid Pub Company. This was a very minor rebranding with no major impact on operations.
The company stated that the new name better reflected its focus as a pub operator rather than a broader hospitality group. The core business remained unchanged as a pub retailer but with a slightly revised identity.
Acquisition by Ei Group plc
In July 2019, Ei Group plc announced that it would acquire the entire share capital of Mitchells & Butlers plc for £1.27 billion. This meant Ei Group would takeover all the subsidiaries and brands of Mitchells & Butlers, including the Orchid Pub Company.
Ei Group plc was a leading pub owner, operator and franchisor in the UK with about 4,000 leased and tenanted outlets. The acquisition of Mitchells & Butlers allowed it to become the largest pub operator in the country with combined revenues of £2.5 billion.
The deal was completed in October 2019, marking the end of Mitchells & Butlers 16 year history as an independent company. Its subsidiaries became part of Ei Group’s managed pub business.
Rebranding as Endeavour Group
In March 2020, Ei Group plc announced that it would be renamed Endeavour Group plc. This change was made to better reflect the company’s strategy going forward.
As part of the rebranding, Ei Group’s managed retail business consisting of former Mitchells & Butlers outlets also adopted the Endeavour Group name. The Orchid Pub Company branding was dropped and all its pubs, restaurants and outlets now came under the Endeavour Group banner.
So in summary, Mitchells & Butlers plc used to operate as the Orchid Pub Company from 2014 to 2019 before being acquired by Ei Group plc. Following Ei Group’s rebrand as Endeavour Group in 2020, all Orchid outlets also adopted the Endeavour Group name which continues to operate today.
Endeavour Group Today
Today, Endeavour Group operates over 3,000 outlets under 40 brands in the UK. These include well-known names like All Bar One, Browns, Nicholson’s, O’Neill’s, Toby Carvery, Walkabout, Yates and many others.
The company is the largest pub and bar operator in the UK with a 16% market share. It has outlets spread across England, Scotland and Wales.
Some of Endeavour Group’s other key details:
- CEO: Simon Townsend
- Headquarters: Solihull, England
- Number of employees: Over 35,000
- Number of outlets: Over 3,000
- Key brands: All Bar One, Browns, Nicholson’s, O’Neill’s, Toby Carvery, Walkabout, Yates
The company continues to focus on expanding its leading portfolio of retail drinks brands in the UK. The scale and reach of Endeavour Group makes it one of the most influential players in the pub and bar sector.
Conclusion
In summary:
- Endeavour Group was previously known as the Orchid Pub Company from 2014 to 2019
- Orchid was a rebranding of Mitchells & Butlers plc’s managed retail business
- Mitchells & Butlers operated pubs and restaurants from 2003 to 2014 after demerging from Six Continents
- Orchid was acquired by Ei Group in 2019 and rebranded to Endeavour Group in 2020
- Endeavour Group today owns over 3,000 pubs, bars and restaurants making it the largest UK pub operator
The company has undergone several changes in identity over the last two decades but its core retail drinks business remains stronger than ever under the new Endeavour Group name.